Hamburg European Open 2023: Casper Ruud vs Sebastian Baez preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (1) Casper Ruud vs Sebastian Baez

Date: July 25, 2023

Tournament: Hamburg Open 2023

Round: First Round (Round of 32)

Venue: Hamburg, Germany

Category: ATP 500

Surface: Clay

Prize money: €1,831,515

Live telecast: USA: Tennis Channel | UK: Amazon Prime | Australia: beIN Sports | Canada: TSN

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Casper Ruud vs Sebastian Baez preview

Ruud is coming off a final run last week.

Top seed Casper Ruud has little time to rest as he commences his bid for the European Open title in Hamburg against Argentina's Sebastian Baez on Tuesday.

World No. 4 Ruud is coming off a run to the Bastad final on Sunday, where the 2021 champion went down in straight sets to second seed Andrey Rublev. With the defeat, he dropped to 26-14 on the season.

Nevertheless, he has little time to brood over that defeat, as he has a first-round match to play in nearby Hamburg on Tuesday. Ruud will take confidence from the fact that he has had an impressive claycourt swing, making his second consecutive Roland Garros final, semifinal in Rome, and the title in Estoril.

Meanwhile, the 63rd-ranked Baez is 16-18 on the season after stumbling in the opening round in Bastad last week. Riding a three-match losing streak, Baez has work to do against the in-form Ruud.

The Argentine will fancy his chances, though, having found success on the red dirt this season. Baez won the Cordoba title and made the semifinals in Santiago and the quarterfinals in Rio de Janeiro and Estoril.

Baez has a 1-2 record in Hamburg, with that win coming in 2021. He lost in the opening round last year.

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Casper Ruud vs Sebastian Baez head-to-head

Ruud beat Baez in the pair's lone meeting in the Estoril quarterfinals this year en route to the title.

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Casper Ruud vs Sebastian Baez odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games (over/under)
Casper Ruud
Sebastian Baez

The odds will be updated when they release.

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Casper Ruud vs Sebastian Baez prediction

Baez is on a three-match losing streak.

Both Ruud and Baez are quintessential baseliners and have pretty similar game styles. Both players aren't particularly known to be the biggest servers or most powerful hitters of the ball but tend to play their best tennis on clay.

Nevertheless, Ruud takes the edge because of his superior experience, consistency and pedigree, especially on clay, where he has an impressive 119-44 record and nine titles. Baez, meanwhile, has a 37-23 record on the surface and two titles.

Ruud is expected to take the win because of his superior recent run of form and the comprehensive manner of his win against Baez in their only clash this year.

Pick: Ruud in straight sets